1. Field
Devices and apparatuses consistent with the present disclosure relate to user interfaces, and more particularly, to a user input device and an electronic apparatus including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic devices, in particular, mobile electronic devices, are continuously being miniaturized, and digital convergence is also under way with the development of digital technology. It is advantageous for an electronic apparatus in which several modules are combined to provide a user with a user input interface according to the type and/or execution stage of an executed application. When user input interfaces are implemented using a mechanical input device (e.g., a key button), it is advantageous for the mechanical input device employed in the electronic apparatus to be reduced in size, or that one key button serve as an input button for various purposes. However, there are disadvantages in that the reduction in size of the mechanical input device or the provision of various uses of one key button are limited by the miniaturization trend of electronic apparatuses, and also increase the probability of malfunction due to mis-input, for example, by hitting an incorrect one of the miniaturized keys.
To address these disadvantages of the mechanical input device, a user input device having a touch panel has been proposed. For example, a touch panel has been employed in a touch pad used in place of a mouse in a laptop computer, netbook, etc. Another example is a touch screen combined with the display of an electronic apparatus in one body, and so on. Among these examples, the touch screen is a device having a touch panel installed on the screen of a display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD). An electronic apparatus having a touch screen displays different input key symbols on a screen according to the type and/or execution stage of an executed application, thereby providing various input interfaces.
To constitute the screen of a display, a touch panel prepared in the touch screen may be installed with the display in one body, or additionally attached to the screen of the display. In any case, the touch screen is used in combination with the display. Thus, there is a disadvantage in that the touch screen cannot be employed as an input device for an electronic apparatus having no display, or in place of a mechanical input device prepared at a position other than a screen (e.g., function or number buttons of a cellular phone, or buttons installed on a side surface of a small electronic apparatus).
Touch panels can be classified into a resistive type, a capacitive type, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) type, an infrared type, etc. according to a method of detecting an input. For example, a capacitive-type touch panel detects a change in capacitance caused by a contact or pressure at a specific point, thereby determining whether or not there is an input at the corresponding point. However, there is a disadvantage in that a user input device (not limited to a touch screen) having such a touch panel cannot give a feeling of input, that is, an input feeling or haptic feeling, to a user. To address this disadvantage, it has been proposed to install a vibration motor under a touch panel. In this way, when an input is detected, the whole touch panel is vibrated by the vibration motor, thereby providing a user with the input feeling or haptic feeling.